Group behavior: performance, sick leave and job satisfaction as a function of within-group homogeneity

Group behavior is affected by more than just the sum of individual member competence because some dynamics are involved in group processes. Standard selection procedures, however, have largely ignored this group aspect. One way of improving group behavior is through group composition, particularly based on homogeneity of group members. Thus the present research was conducted to examine the relationship between group behavior and group homogeneity. A sample of 212 firefighters (N of groups = 27) employed by a major city located in the Midwest was used for the study. Group homogeneity was measured by using the Kuder Occupational Interest Survey. Group behavior was assessed through job satisfaction and records of job performance and sick leave. One scale of the Job Descriptive Index, Work scale, was used to measure job satisfaction of firefighters. In addition, the Peer Leadership scale was used to measure interaction variables to explore their mediating role between group behavior and group homogeneity;Group homogeneity of firefighter\u27s interests was analyzed by four indices: item response pattern, shape, level, and variability. An analysis of variance and Pearson product-moment correlations were computed to test the hypotheses. Results indicated that group homogeneity was positively related to job satisfaction but not to job performance and sick leave. In addition to interest similarity, age homogeneity within a group was found to correlate with job satisfaction. Although a mediating role of interaction measures was not found, this result is not conclusive because a proper analysis could not be conducted due to an inadequate sample size (N of groups = 27). Implications of the results for human resource management are discussed

Consistency between education reported in health survey and recorded in death certificate

Background: Education level is one indicator of socioeconomic position which, in several countries including South Korea, is provided though death certificate data. Its validity determines the usefulness of death certificate data for exploring the association between socioeconomic position and mortality. This study was to compare education recorded on the death certificate with that reported before death in a nationally representative cohort of participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Methods: The 1998/2001 NHANES data contained unique 13-digit personal identification numbers that were individually linked to death certificate data from the Korean National Statistical Office. Duration of mortality follow-up was 7.1 years. The data from 513 deaths were used to determine sensitivity and specificity of education in death certificate and estimate agreement rates of education level between NHANES data and death certificate data. Odds ratios for agreement in education were also estimated. Covariates considered in the analyses were gender, age, duration between NHANES and death, and cause of death. Results: The proportion of deaths without recorded education in death certificate was very low (0.2%). A total of 29.4% discordant pairs were found. Sensitivity and specificity for college or higher education were 0.84 (95% confidence interval 0.71–0.97) and 0.99 (0.98–1.00). However, sensitivity was poor for middle school education. The overall agreement rate was 70.7% (66.8%–74.6%) when education was categorized into five groups and increased up to 88.9% (86.2%–91.6%) when three education categories were used. The magnitude of validity and reliability for education did not generally vary with age, duration between health survey and death, and cause of death. However, a significantly smaller likelihood of agreement was found for middle and elementary school education after adjusting for covariates. Conclusion: Low percentage of missing information on education in South Korean death certificate data could provide a great potential to monitor mortality inequalities. A more collapsed categorization in education would be recommended when a more definitive conclusion on educational mortality inequality is required.Young-Ho Khang, Hye Ryun Kim and John W Lync

Dissolution behaviors of PuO2(cr) in natural waters

PuO2(cr) dissolution in natural water was investigated at 25°C and 60°C under atmospheric conditions. The concentration of Pu in solutions [Pu], was monitored for 1 year of reaction time. PuO2(cr) dissolution in natural water reached a steady state within 2 months at 25°C. The [Pu] in groundwater and seawater at pH 8 were in the range of [Pu] = 0.9–34 and 3.4–27 nM, respectively. The [Pu] in concrete porewater (rainwater equilibrated with concrete) at pH 8.1–10.9 was in the range of 0.1–3.2 nM. The [Pu] and pH values of groundwater were similar to those of seawater samples having a high ionic strength. The measured [Pu] at equilibrium in all samples was higher than the calculated solubility curves for PuO2(am, hyd). Experimental evidence is insufficient to confirm the oxidation state of Pu in solution and solid phases. However, the results of geochemical modeling indicate that PuO2(am, hyd) and aqueous Pu(IV) species are dominant in natural water samples of this work. The dissolution behavior of PuO2(cr) in natural waters is comparable to the oxidative dissolution of PuO2(am, hyd) in the presence of PuO2(coll, hyd). The dissolution of PuO2 in groundwater decreased at higher temperatures, whereas the influence of temperature in seawater and porewater was not significant under these experimental conditions

Patient-Reported Health-Related Quality of Life in KEYNOTE-604: Pembrolizumab or Placebo Added to Etoposide and Platinum as First-Line Therapy for Extensive-Stage SCLC

Small-cell lung cancer; Health-related quality of life; Patient-reported outcomesCàncer de pulmó de cèl·lules petites; Qualitat de vida relacionada amb la salut; Resultats informats pel pacientCáncer de pulmón de células pequeñas; Calidad de vida relacionada con la salud; Resultados informados por el pacienteIntroduction In the phase 3 KEYNOTE-604 study (NCT03066778), pembrolizumab plus etoposide and platinum chemotherapy (EP) significantly (p = 0.0023) improved progression-free survival versus placebo plus EP in previously untreated extensive-stage SCLC (ES-SCLC). We present health-related quality of life (HRQoL) results from KEYNOTE-604. Methods Patients with stage IV SCLC were randomized 1:1 to pembrolizumab 200 mg or placebo every 3 weeks for 35 cycles plus four cycles of EP. Secondary end points included mean change from baseline to week 18 in the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality-of-Life Questionnaire—Core 30 (QLQ-C30) global health status/quality of life (GHS/QoL) scale and time to deterioration in the composite outcome of cough, chest pain, or dyspnea from QLQ-C30 and QLQ—Lung Cancer Module 13. Two-sided, nominal p values are reported. Results A total of 439 patients completed at least one QLQ-C30 and QLQ—Lung Cancer Module 13 assessment (pembrolizumab + EP, n = 221; placebo + EP, n = 218). GHS/QoL scores improved from baseline to week 18: least squares mean (95% confidence interval [CI]) changes were 8.7 (5.3–12.1) for pembrolizumab plus EP and 4.2 (0.9–7.5) for placebo plus EP. Between-group differences in least squares mean scores were improved for pembrolizumab plus EP (4.4 [95% CI: 0.2–8.7], p = 0.040]). Median time to deterioration for the composite end point was not reached and 8.7 (95% CI: 5.9–not reached) months, respectively (hazard ratio = 0.80 [95% CI: 0.56–1.14], p = 0.208). Conclusions First-line pembrolizumab plus EP therapy maintained HRQoL in patients with ES-SCLC and may be associated with greater improvement than placebo plus EP. Together with the efficacy and safety findings in KEYNOTE-604, HRQoL data support the benefit of pembrolizumab in ES-SCLC.Funding for this research was provided by Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA

Ictal sinus pause and myoclonic seizure in a child

Ictal tachycardia and bradycardia are common arrhythmias; however, ictal sinus pause and asystole are rare. Ictal arrhythmia is mostly reported in adults with temporal lobe epilepsy. Recently, ictal arrhythmia was recognized as a major warning sign of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy. We present an interesting case of a child with ictal sinus pause and asystole. A 27-month-old girl was hospitalized due to 5 episodes of convulsions during the past 2 days. Results of routine electroencephalography (EEG) were normal, but she experienced brief generalized tonic seizure for 3 days. During video-monitored EEG and echocardiography (ECG), she showed multiple myoclonic seizures simultaneously or independently, as well as frequent sinus pauses. After treatment with valproic acid, myoclonus and generalized tonic seizures were well controlled and only 2 sinus pauses were seen on 24-hour Holter ECG monitoring. Sinus dysfunction should be recognized on EEG, and it can sometimes be treated successfully with only antiepileptic medication

Tension pneumopericardium after removal of pericardiocentesis drainage catheter

This image showed tension pneumopericardium caused by removing the pericardiocentesis catheter, which was inserted to drain malignant pericardial effusion. Tension pneumopericardium is a rare and potentially fatal event. Mortality from tension pneumopericardium can be as high as 50%. Therefore, it is important to suspect and detect early, if the patient complained of dyspnea after removing the pericardiocentesis drainage cathete

Auxin response factor 2 (ARF2) plays a major role in regulating auxin-mediated leaf longevity

Auxin regulates a variety of physiological and developmental processes in plants. Although auxin acts as a suppressor of leaf senescence, its exact role in this respect has not been clearly defined, aside from circumstantial evidence. It was found here that ARF2 functions in the auxin-mediated control of Arabidopsis leaf longevity, as discovered by screening EMS mutant pools for a delayed leaf senescence phenotype. Two allelic mutations, ore14-1 and 14-2, caused a highly significant delay in all senescence parameters examined, including chlorophyll content, the photochemical efficiency of photosystem II, membrane ion leakage, and the expression of senescence-associated genes. A delay of senescence symptoms was also observed under various senescence-accelerating conditions, where detached leaves were treated with darkness, phytohormones, or oxidative stress. These results indicate that the gene defined by these mutations might be a key regulatory genetic component controlling functional leaf senescence. Map-based cloning of ORE14 revealed that it encodes ARF2, a member of the auxin response factor (ARF) protein family, which modulates early auxin-induced gene expression in plants. The ore14/arf2 mutation also conferred an increased sensitivity to exogenous auxin in hypocotyl growth inhibition, thereby demonstrating that ARF2 is a repressor of auxin signalling. Therefore, the ore14/arf2 lesion appears to cause reduced repression of auxin signalling with increased auxin sensitivity, leading to delayed senescence. Altogether, our data suggest that ARF2 positively regulates leaf senescence in Arabidopsis

Effects of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure on White Matter Microstructure in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Background and Objective Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has significant effects on quality of life and may lead to cognitive impairments. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the standard treatment for OSA and has been shown to improve sleep disturbances and daytime dysfunction. In this study, we aimed to assess the effects of CPAP on white matter (WM) integrity using longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tests. Methods Twenty-two male patients with moderate to severe OSA were recruited, and thepatients underwent DTI scanning before and 6–44 months after CPAP treatment. Sixteen male patients with untreated OSA who were not compliant with CPAP were included as a reference group. We compared the functional anisotropy (FA) values between baseline and follow-up magnetic resonance imaging in both the CPAP and untreated groups using tract-specific statistical analysis (TSSA) method. Results The TSSA analysis showed that FA values in the middle part of the right corticospinal tract were increased after treatment in the CPAP group. In the untreated group, no significant change in FA value was observed between baseline and follow-up. In the CPAP group, the post-treatment FA value in the anterior part of the right anterior thalamic radiation was significantly correlated with the duration of CPAP therapy, after controlling for age, body mass index, and baseline FA value. Conclusions Our study suggests that long-term CPAP treatment could gradually reverse OSA-induced injury to the WM microstructure, particularly WM associated with the motor and limbic systems. The study findings provide new insights into the mechanisms of cognitive improvement after CPAP treatment in patients with OSA

Improved hematopoietic differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells via estrogen receptor signaling pathway

Additional file 2: Table S1. Temporal changes (%) of ER-Îą and hematopoietic phenotypes during hiPSC-derived hematopoietic differentiation

Airborne Measurements of High Pollutant Concentration Events in the Free Troposphere over the West Coast of South Korea between 1997 and 2011

Aircrafts enable the direct measurement of chemical components in the free troposphere (FT). This study employed airborne measurements to examine the occurrences of high concentrations of SO2 and NOx in the FT over the coastal region west of the Seoul metropolitan area, South Korea. The data from a long-term (1997-2011) airborne measurement campaign were used to determine the meteorological conditions favorable for carrying these pollutants into the Seoul area. The back trajectory analyses of 21 instances of high FT pollutant concentration events showed ascending patterns from the major pollutant sources, mainly the industrial complexes in eastern China, in 9 instances and passing patterns in 12 instances. In the ascending instances, developing low-pressure systems over the source regions provide favorable conditions to uplift air pollutants from the surface into the FT. In the passing instances, an anomalous low-pressure system near the surface prevented airflows from descending into the boundary layer and upper-level anticyclonic systems helped to keep the ascending airflows in the FT. This study proposes the basic mechanisms for predicting air quality in the Seoul area, considering that air pollutants in the FT often entrain into the boundary layer to increase local concentrationsopen0